New Valley Labs

The Trans Power Panel by StartOut was a great way to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility - it was an incredible chance to be inspired by the the direct words of amazing entrepreneurs and leaders: Charlotte Hamilton is a seasoned entrepreneur and CEO of TAF Carbon, with a track record of co-founding and leading five hard tech startups in sustainable materials, EV batteries, and drug delivery, while also advocating for LGBTQ+ founders through StartOut. Thank you Charlotte for sharing your perspective on how to decide if you're the right person for a position, and ensuring that if you're not, that the right person is brought into the work so that you can continue building. And thanks for sharing the pigeons! Ivan Hsiao, MPH is the founder of Trans Health HQ, a pioneering platform improving access to gender-affirming care worldwide, while also conducting research and teaching transgender health at Harvard, bridging academia, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. Thank you for your tireless advocacy in making gender-affirming healthcare education more available and making trans and queer lives safer. I'm excited to continue following your journey and see the next public-facing updates! Joseph Schneier is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Circle, leveraging AI and behavioral science to improve healthcare access, particularly for older adults, while mentoring at top universities and serving on multiple LGBTQ+ advocacy boards. Thank you for sharing your insight on making change happen - how one needs to be prepared with meeting people and systems where they're at before being able to move forward. Taking an empathetic and patient approach, while it is often time-consuming, has worked well in my personal experiences and I'm glad to hear this approach is working in larger systems. Thank you StartOut and Daniel Anzueto for providing an excellent and empowering panel that highlighted incredible individuals.

Today is Trans Day of Visibility, and there’s so much that could and should be said on the double edged sword of visibility and its impact and importance. We encourage everyone to seek out trans voices and the many amazing organizations - here locally, across the state, and nationally. Whether you’re at a Plexus event, out in the community, or at your place of employment, we will always strive to provide space, support, and advocacy for trans people to openly and freely bring your whole selves. We hope that our actions throughout the year can speak more than our words do today, and we will continue to fight for all of our community to be empowered to freely be themselves in and out of the workplace.

Amazing opportunity THIS Saturday! More details below 👏

📣 Young Professionals, You’re Invited! 📣 Join us on April 22nd for the next QEO Dinner featuring Dr. Scott Latiolais, an innovative higher education leader and an out LGBTQ+ senior executive. 🍽️ An intimate dinner experience designed for networking, mentorship, and real talk about career growth and inclusion. Seats are limited—secure yours now! https://ow.ly/kJEF50Vi8MT #PlexusYP #QEOdinner #LGBTQLeadership #Networking

Still here. Still queer. We've been busy building while legislation at large has been, also, busy. So, let's hang out and catch up. New Valley Labs will be available for informal chatting this week - startup and venture based, or otherwise. Come by and hang out with Laveréna Wienclaw if you're available! Details: Gypsy Beans 6425 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102 Friday, March 28th 2-6pm If you can't make it then, feel free to send a message and we can set up some other time that works. This post has been human generated with love. See you soon. 💝

Join us at the Style Studio, an open and welcoming space at the LGBTQ Career & Resource Fair, designed to help you look and feel your absolute best as you prepare for new career opportunities! 💄 Personalized Makeup & Skincare Consultations by Erin Thomas Makeup Artistry – Get expert advice on achieving a confident, professional look. 👗 Style Advice from Alysse Dalessandro Ready to Stare – Find your power look with free plus-sized femme clothing and expert styling tips. 👜 Accessories by Margie's Closet, LLC– Elevate your professional wardrobe with stylish, free accessories! 📸 Professional Headshots by Leigh Bacho Photography – Put your best face forward with a free headshot from an award-winning photographer. 👗 Limited Femme Fashion Giveaway from Yellowcakeshop Clothing – Grab a one-of-a-kind piece from Valerie Mayen’s eco-conscious, classic designs! About the LGBTQ Career & Resource Fair This isn’t just a job fair—it’s a community space designed to uplift, empower, and connect the LGBTQ+ community with inclusive employers, career resources, and skill-building opportunities. Whether you’re searching for a job, exploring career growth, or looking for resources, the fair is a space where you belong, just as you are. 📅 Date: Saturday, March 29 | 10am-1pm 📍 Location: LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland https://ow.ly/4nm350VlWtF #StyleStudio #LGBTQCareerFair #GlowUp #PowerLook #ProfessionalGlow #BeYouBeBold

Chasing Rainbows Fund I, is officially closing capital commitments this Wednesday - March 5, 2025. If you are there wondering why am I publicly announcing this? I am doing so, because honestly, I want you to understand what I'm going through, as I close off this venture fund. I started Chasing Rainbows, because I saw an opportunity for an LGBTQ+ focused VC fund. As an investor, things like education background (be that college attended or graduation from specific VC accelerators), gender and even racial identities are often used to form an investment thesis. However, there have been limited examples of any VC fund specifically focusing LGTBQ+ founders. On top of differentiation (something important when competing for deal-flow and cap table access), I saw this as an opportunity for equality. Time and time again I was hearing from LGTBQ+ identifying founders they were being openly discriminated against by VC for being themselves. Don't get me wrong - not all founders are investible. But let me ask you, if an investor (both VC and angels) chooses not to invest in a founder because of their personal religious or political beliefs - are they really trying to get the best returns? This becomes particularly apparent when founders are asked to remove any evidence of their LGBTQ+ identity (such as scrubbing their social media and never mentioning their family/partners etc) in order to receive investment. How do I know this sort of investor behaviour exists? Not only have I've heard stories from countless founders, I've also experienced it myself, first hand. When numerous data sources (Proud Ventures, StartOut, Pitchbook, Crunchbase etc) have reported LGBTQ+ founder performance metrics against their peers - the results show they outperform. Yet capital deployed into these founders is not equally distributed due to not meeting 'thesis requirements'. Founders who operate on have limited budgets - are resourceful. But in order to scale access - accessing capital is required. Chasing Rainbows offered founders an opportunity to receive a small check from a VC fund who looked beyond their LGBTQ+ identity. What those small checks led to, was an opportunity to then be seen by the wider VC market. Beyond capital, founders are supported with practical advice focus on what makes them investible by other VCs. This is our real value-add; and has been validated by the fact established VCs have converted 7 of the 16 portfolio companies from SAFE to priced equity. I'm doing one last public call out for any potential investors (or donations if investing isn't an option). This is not me begging for you to invest in my fund. This is a statement that due to the current conservative government limitings our our ability to operate future funds are not possible. But more importantly, they are erasing the identity of those we invest in, which includes myself. If you want to learn more, please email me: ben@chasingrainbows.vc or call this number: +1 415 465 0233.

Nike hasn’t done a Super Bowl ad in 27 years. And last weekend, when they finally did, they made it about women in sports. That alone is remarkable. I absolutely loved the ad. It was bold, empowering, and unapologetic in its message: People will tell you no. Do it anyway. And yet, there was backlash. Some said it promoted hustle culture. Others said it implied that women still aren’t there yet. Some took the opportunity to criticize Nike as a company and their own policies towards women. But here’s the thing—it’s an ad, potentially seen by 127 million viewers (according to Reuters), and it’s helping to drive the conversation about women - how we thrive without others holding us back, how we push forward regardless of what is being thrown at us, and how we bet on ourselves, and how we're winning. The ad didn’t say winning is everything. It didn’t say win at all costs. It said: You’ll be told you can’t. Go prove them wrong. It said: You’re going to face adversity. Keep going. It said: When your back is against the wall, you come out swinging. It said: Believe in and bet on yourself. And isn’t that the message we need right now? Women’s sports are finally getting the attention they deserve. Women leaders are breaking barriers. Women are winning. Yet, obstacles remain. That’s why this ad resonates so deeply. Whether you’re a collegiate athlete focused on going pro, a founder hearing all kinds of no's but still building your company, or a woman in the workplace fighting to be heard—the message is the same: Just do it. It’s telling you to go after what you want, despite what people/society/culture might tell you. Get that promotion, start a company, go out for the soccer team, take extended parental leave to be with your children, train for the Olympics, advocate for that promotion. It’s telling you despite the noise, you can win. And you define your rules. By the way, what’s wrong with ambition? With setting a massive goal and going after it? When I started Luminary, countless people told me I wouldn’t succeed. But I did it anyway. It's not the first time I've heard some version of this message throughout my life. I’m proud of my ambition, my drive, my hustle, my relentless focus. My version of winning may look different from yours, and how I go after it, but that doesn’t make it less relevant. At the end of the day, everyone wants to be encouraged. We want to feel empowered, to be able to go after that dream, whatever it is, and I think it's a really important message, especially right now, especially for women.  No matter what your goals are, it’s ok to aim high. You can’t win (they say), so prove them wrong. WIN.  Meanwhile, did you know that 69% of women in leadership played competitive sports? 85% say those skills helped them succeed in their professional careers. I’m one of them. I credit much of my success to playing sports (thanks, Dad)! So, what did you think of the spot? #genderequity #payparity #leadership #careeradvice

Happy Valentine's Day! Don’t forget to show some love to the most important person in your life—yourself! Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s essential. Take a moment today to rest, reflect, and recharge (and maybe eat some sweets). You deserve it. 🥰 #ValentinesDay #SelfLove #SelfCare #MentalHealthMatters

Attn: Michigan Founders in the Outdoor Industry - The Outdoor Innovation Pitch Competition will return to Marquette in February! The grand prize is a $50,000 investment from the Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund MI-based startups that are in the outdoor industry can apply to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges during Peak25, Friday, February 21, 2025 in Marquette. Applications are due January 31, 2025. https://shorturl.at/9ZU1v #pitchcompetition #peak25 #outdoorrecreation #outdoorinnovation #michiganbusiness #michiganpitchcompetition